


Secret Santa

by AmaliaIR



Series: Drabbles [11]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: 8th year, Back to Hogwarts, F/M, Room of Requirement, Secret Santa, paneville
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-10
Updated: 2018-01-10
Packaged: 2019-03-03 02:32:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13331643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmaliaIR/pseuds/AmaliaIR
Summary: Pansy is Neville's Secret Santa and her ridiculous friends are no help.





	Secret Santa

Pansy picked up the small piece of paper between two fingers and then kept it well secured inside her fist. She thanked Susan Bones, who was holding the big bowl with dozens and dozens of folded pieces of paper, and then Susan walked on, continuing her way down the Slytherin table and offering the bowl to the students. 

Pansy’s porridge was getting cold, so the took another spoonful and ate quietly before opening up her fist and carelessly unfolding the piece of paper.

_Neville Longbottom._

Her heart stopped. 

Pansy choked on her porridge and had a coughing fit that lasted almost a minute before Daphne sat next to her and clapped her on the back a few times. “Are you alright?"

Pansy nodded and took a deep breath before speaking. “Guess who I got for secret santa?”

Daphne covered her ears and shook her head resolutely. “Don’t tell me! It defeats the purpose of the game!”

Pansy rolled her eyes. “Alright. I won’t tell you.” She gathered her things, she didn’t think she could eat anymore after almost choking to death. “But if you get a big pile of coal as a present, that’s from me.”

.

The Slytherin common room was almost deserted. Pansy sat there, lying down on one of the sofas and doodling in the air with her wand, which left a trail of black, floating ink that disappeared after a few seconds. 

Of all the students in her year, she had to get Longbottom. It could have been some random Ravenclaw or a fellow Slytherin, but no. Now she was feeling like she actually had to put some thought into this, instead of buying the first thing that crossed her path and cost less than three galleons. 

She dropped her hand and placed her wand on her chest. The tiny piece of paper was still in her other hand, and she opened it again in front of her and read Neville’s name again.

“Wow!”

Pansy sat up straight, clutching her wand and the paper to her chest as her heart jumped up to her throat. When she looked round, she saw Draco straightening up from behind the sofa, where he had been crouching and reading the same piece of paper as Pansy. She sighed in relief for a moment before sending him a death glare.

“Theo! Blaise!” Draco shouted as he smirked at Pansy. “You got to see this!”

Pansy quickly broke the piece of paper in half and stuffed it into the pocket of her robes. “Shut up, Draco!”

Theo and Blaise walked in form the boy’s dormitories, looking curious. 

“I just found who Pansy got for secret santa,” Draco told them. “It’s hilarious.”

“Nice,” Theo said as he took a seat on one of the armchairs.

Blaise did the same, smiling wickedly at Pansy, who crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back in her seat, as if she didn’t mind.

Draco sat down next to her and threw an arm around her shoulders. “Let’s guess, shall we? We’ll all say the name at the count of three.”

Pansy frowned at the three boys.

“One. Two. Three...”

“Longbottom!”

The three of them had spoken at the same time, leaving Pansy wide-eyed and more confused than ever. How did they know?

They laughed at her expression, and Pansy had half a mind to leave, but she was really curious as to why this was happening. She waited patiently until their laughter subdued, giving them the dirtiest looks she could munster.

“Quite finished?” She asked after a while, staring particularly at Blaise and Theo. “How the bloody hell do you know that?”

“Oh please,” Blaise said, straightening his robes as though his laughing fit had messed them up. “There was only one person who could get you so flustered and upset at the same time.”

Pansy dropped her jaw. “I am not flustered!” But even as she said so, her cheeks started feeling a little hot.

“You should be glad,” Theo told her. “You get to show him how much you fancy him with a present. You need to get him the perfect gift.”

Pansy opened her mouth, intending to say that she most definitely did not fancy Neville Longbottom, but the way she all looked at her made her shut right up.

Draco moved even closer to her, patting her shoulder sympathetically. “I hate to be the one to break it to you, but you haven’t stopped staring at him ever since we came back to Hogwarts. I will admit that he’s gotten quite fit, but your obsession is pathetic.”

Pansy rolled her eyes. “You lot have no idea what you’re talking about. Me and Longbottom? Seriously?”

Blaise leaned forward on his seat, looking at Pansy with a serious expression. “Pansy...you’re almost as smitten as these two with Potter.”

She gasped.

“What?” both Theo and Draco said at the same time.

The three boys started arguing, but Pansy wasn’t listening anymore. She was suddenly very nervous about this stupid gift exchange and she didn’t understand why, but Theo’s words kept repeating inside her mind. 

You need to get him the perfect gift.

.

This was the first time Pansy was in the Room of Requirement. She had heard a lot about it from Draco, and she had been looking forward to seeing it when they announced they would be using it to celebrate the eight years Christmas party and Secret Santa. But right this second, knowing that she would have to stand in front of everyone as Neville Longbottom opened his present from her, she'd rather be anywhere else. 

Whoever decorated the room, clearly took it very seriously. It was very Christmas-y, but thankfully not too corny, because Pansy felt sick enough already. Her classmates were pouring into the room, chatting happily and some already trying the food that had been laid on a large table. 

Pansy found Daphne and went to sit next to her, hoping that some of her other friends would join too, but they all seemed too busy socializing to people from other houses. As she scanned the room for Draco, Theo, and Blaise, she spotted him. Neville stood a few inches taller than most people in his circle of friends, except for Ron Weasley, and was wearing deep burgundy robes that greatly suited him. That is, until Pansy noticed that he had mismatched socks. She smiled to herself. 

When she turned back around, Daphne was looking at her suspiciously, but Pansy ignored her and wished she had a drink. 

As if someone had heard her, suddenly a glass of white wine popped into existence right next to her, floating delicately and waiting for Pansy to take it. She jumped a little, but then remembered where she was and smirked. “Maybe this party won't be too bad.”

The Secret Santa began rather soon, as everyone was too excited and they were too many, meaning it would take a long time to finish.   
Dean Thomas received a small set to make magical paintings that moved, which took a long time for him to guess that they were from fellow Gryffindor Lavender Brown. Then, she got some flying makeup brushes from Terry Boot, who received a deluxe selection of chocolate truffles from Goyle.

With each person that went into the middle of the giant circle to pick up their present and guess who it was from, Pansy got more and more nervous. Any moment now it could be Neville's turn. She wondered who had gotten him as his Secret Santa, and what present he had gotten for them. She feared it would be better than what she had gotten him, and that she hadn't spent enough on his present. But there was nothing to do now but wait. Wait and drink another glass of wine. 

Daphne was up next, and her gift was a lovely necklace. The note that came with it suggested that her Secret Santa was from Hufflepuff, and after a couple of failed attempts, she guessed Hannah Abbot correctly. Hannah opened a large parcel decorated with green wrapping paper and dried flowers, and when she revealed the exotic-looking plant inside, Pansy's stomach dropped. 

“Neville!” Hannah said at once, running towards him and wrapping him in a big hug.”Thank you so much!”

Pansy put the glass of wine on the floor and sat up straighter. She could see Blaise in her field of vision, clearly trying to get her attention to laugh at her, but Pansy's eyes were fixed on the table in the center of the circle, her present propped up against all the others.   
Neville got to his feet, his cheeks slightly red and his eyes looking around curiously. Pansy had placed a very visible card with his name attached to the present, and the wrapping was a simple color-changing paper that they sold at any supplies store. Neville approached it and placed his hands over it, turning it from side to side as if deciding where to open it from. 

Her heart was pounding increasingly faster, and in that second that Neville started ripping open the present, she regretted every decision she made regarding that gift. 

She watched as if in slow motion as Neville pulled out the first item; a round, crystal bottle of cologne. Just by looking at it Pansy could hear her grandfather’s voice, loud and deep like a rumbling ocean. Neville looked at the bottle with a small smile and the pressure in Pansy’s chest diminished somewhat.

Next, he held up the box of butterscotch candies. Fat, round, and wrapped in shimmering gold paper, Pansy could practically taste them if she closed her eyes. 

Neville looked inside the box and Pansy was sure she noticed the way he held his breath. Carefully, he pulled out the bag of soil. Pansy had made sure to find the absolute best and rarest soil money could buy, through a special owl service that delivered internationally. She knew that Neville recognized the worth of this soil just by seeing the label, and even from where she was she could smell it; fresh, earthy, alive.

At last, Pansy swallowed thickly and clenched her hands into fists as Neville took out the last item. A tiny bottle with a pearly white shimmering liquid inside, and a card tied to it.

Pansy couldn’t tear her eyes away from Neville’s as he read, imagining the words playing inside his mind. 

This is my amortentia. What’s yours?

She saw him gulp, and then with trembling fingers, Neville started to unscrew the bottle. Pansy couldn't tell if there was noise around her or not, but everything seemed quiet. An eternity had passed and still Neville had not smelled the potion. Maybe her plan wouldn’t work after all, maybe she had been too hopeful, too stupidly idealistic for a simple Christmas present that wasn’t supposed to mean anything. But when she had found the amortentia she couldn't resist and then...she knew. She knew what she had to do.

Neville brought the bottle up to his face, and with one last nervous glance at it, he closed his eyes and breathed in. 

Pansy tried to imagine what it could smell like to him. Flowers? A particular plant? Soil too, maybe? Perhaps a dozen other things that held meaning to him and Pansy didn’t know, but she wanted to.

Neville's eyes fluttered open softly, as if he was in a haze, and it was with a sharp pang of realization that Pansy noticed that they were staring at her. Her heart started rising higher and higher.

They looked at each other for a moment, and then Pansy was brought back to reality by loud hoots and cheers. Her face went immediately stone-hard as she attempted to ignore the jeering from all her idiot classmates. Neville was bright red.

“You should thank Draco, Theo, and Blaise,” Daphne told her as she leaned in closer to Pansy. “They manipulated the papers so you’d get him.” She smiled brightly.

Pansy looked at her with disbelief. “What?” How were they able to do that? And how did they dare without knowing that it would work out in her favor? 

She found Blaise in the crowd, who gave her a knowing smirk and then nodded towards his right. Pansy followed his line of sight and saw a smiling Theo, Draco, and in between them, Potter, who waved cheerfully. 

“We knew he fancied you too!” Draco shouted unabashedly. 

Pansy got to her feet. “Shut up, Malfoy!”

Without waiting for a comeback, she took off, walking away hurriedly and leaving behind the group of murmuring people. 

Pansy was furious. Her face felt hot but her hands were cold and white from tightening them into fists. She couldn't believe her so called friends. If they had known her at all, they would have known that this was not the way she wanted things to go with Neville. Being set up like she was a child in first year, with their entire year watching, and then having their feelings displayed like some type of...of…

“Pansy.”

She stopped walked. She knew that voice wasn't Draco's, or Theo’s, or Blaise’s. 

Neville stood there, looking anxious, hesitant, but mostly really beautiful. It wasn't until Pansy laid eyes on him that she remembered what had happened. She had basically told Neville Longbottom that she liked him. 

And he reciprocated. 

“Um… Neville shifted from one foot to the other, his face redding a little more. “Aren't you going back for your present?”

Pansy had completely forgotten about that. 

“No. It doesn't matter,” she said, still feeling the anger sitting unmoving inside her, though it had diminished significantly since she heard Neville's voice. 

Neville took a couple of steps closer to her. “What if you get something really nice? Wouldn't you want to see it?”

“I don't know.” She walked closer too, and lowered her voice with the proximity. “Do you know what I got?”

Now they both kept approaching each other, nonchalantly taking baby steps as if to hide the fact that they wanted to be closer. 

“No.” Neville shook his head. 

“Do you know who got me?” Pansy asked, her heart racing as she got a clearer look at the shade of brown in Neville's eyes. 

Neville shook his head again, but this time the corners of his mouth turned up a little. “No.”

They were right in front of each other now. Pansy had to look up at him. 

“What do you know?”

For a moment it all played out in Pansy's head. Neville would lean down and kiss her, soft but determined. Or she would stand on her toes and kiss him, bold and eager. Maybe they’d lean into each other at the same time and she would feel sparks exploding all over the place.

But then she knew it wouldn't happen. 

“I know that I’ll miss you if you don't come back,” Neville said and Pansy smiled. 

Yet.


End file.
